Austro-Hungarian Project III Battleship Design

In mid 1917 the MTK (Marinetechnische Komitee - Naval Technical Committee), Pola prepared a battleship design the same time they proposed the battlecruiser Project II.
The hull shape was similar but shorter and wider providing a more stable gun platform with a more conventional layout of 4 twin 38cm turrets in superfiring pairs forward and aft and a reduced number of 9cm casemated guns only positioned at the ends.

Choice over the increased calibre might be the result of the early studies based on the results of the battle of Jutland and the knowledge of the new generation of German Battlecruisers (Ersatz Yorck) and then under construction Battleships (Bayern) which to be armed with 38cm cannons. On the other hand the KuK Kriegsmarine might had accessed knowledge about the newly introduced warships of the Royal Navy, the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge class battleships as well as the Renown class battlecruisers which all carried 15" / 381mm cannons, it is also likely that the increased calibre is the result of the new Italian fast battleships laid down at that time: the Francesco Caracciolo class which too would had carried 381mm cannons.

You can think of this design as the Austro-Hungarian equivalent of the Queen Elizabeth and Revenge classes but faster though with thinner belt and deck armour.

The design(s) had the following characteristics:
Dimensions: 200 (wl) x 30 x 8,75m
Displacement: 30.000tons (standard), 32.300tons (full load)
Armour: 40mm Deck, 300mm Belt
Engines: 75.000shp Steam Turbines, 4 shafts
Speed: 46km/h (25knots)
Range: 8.500km at 28km/h (4.600nm at 15knots)
Armaments:
4x2 38cm/45 Skoda K17 Cannons
18x1 15cm/50 Skoda K10 Guns
10x1 9cm/45 (88mm) Skoda K12 Guns
4x1 9cm/45 (88mm) Skoda K16 AA Guns
6x1 53cm Underwater Torpedo tubes

The original drawings can be found here:
http://www.viribusunitis.ca/images/predesign3-large.jpg
http://www.viribusunitis.ca/predesigns.html

Or here together with a small history on them:
https://stefsap.wordpress.com/2017/12/20/austria-hungarys-naval-building-projects-1914-1918-cruisers-2/

And finally based on the naming conventions of the German and Austro-Hungarian navies, the name of the class most likely be Ersatz Habsburg class the next oldest battleships of the KuK navy after the Monarch class.